


Andrew Versus the Truth

by gluupor



Series: Andreil Week 2018 [6]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: AFTG Bingo 2018, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Andreil Week 2018, Chuck AU, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Murder, Implied/Referenced Past Non-Con, M/M, Nerd Andrew, Prompt: "It's not a date!", Prompt: Hug and comment, Prompt: video games, Spy Neil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-05-31 09:53:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15116933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gluupor/pseuds/gluupor
Summary: Andrew has an unexceptional life working at an IT help desk in Southern California and living with his cousin. Then he gets an unexpected message on his birthday from his estranged twin brother and very strange things start happening. His computer catches fire, two attractive guys seem interested in him, and he keeps imagining that he knows classified CIA intelligence.These things couldn't possibly be connected... could they?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU of the television show Chuck, but you really don't have to have seen it to understand. All you need to know is: the BuyMore is a big-box electronics store (ie. BestBuy), the Nerd Herd is their in-house IT helpdesk, and the LargeMart is a Costco.
> 
> Andreil Week Prompt: video games

When Andrew was a teenager he hadn't been able to picture a future for himself. He assumed he'd either be dead or in prison by this time in his life. He couldn't have imagined that he'd ever have a life like this. He had gone to university, he had a safe place to live, he had a steady job, he had friends, and no one had touched him without his consent since he was thirteen. Sure, technically he hadn't graduated university, thanks to Aaron getting him kicked out. And he didn't own his own house, he lived with his cousin Nicky and Nicky's boyfriend, Erik. And his job was helping computer illiterate people with problems of their own making as a member of the Nerd Herd at the local BuyMore. And he didn't have friends so much as he had friend, singular, and several acquaintances that he didn't hate. And although he'd come to terms with his sexuality and dated a little, he'd never found anyone who could hold his interest. But, still. His life may have not been the most glamorous or exciting, but it was his. He'd worked hard to get this far and he was content. He didn't appreciate Nicky's attempts at trying to improve him.

Which was why he was hiding in his bedroom to escape the party that Nicky had thrown for his twenty seventh birthday.

"Andrew," said Nicky in exasperation, after knocking on his door. "This is _your_ party."

"All the guests are your friends," said Andrew.

"I invited all of your friends that I know!" argued Nicky. "Renee's here. Also, I have invited several single, interested guys _just for you_."

"It never goes well when you try to set me up," said Andrew.

"Are you just going to sit in your room and sulk all night?"

Andrew considered. "Probably," he admitted.

"Would you pl… at least have some birthday cake?"

Andrew didn't want to leave his room, but Nicky was trying so hard and had curbed himself from saying 'please' for Andrew's sake, so he gave in and left his room. The first person he ran into was Erik.

"Andrew, buddy!" he cried happily. "It's great to see you!" Andrew had tried to hate Erik (he hadn't expected any difficulty as he hated most people) but the guy was practically a golden retriever: friendly, outgoing, dumb, and loyal. Despite Andrew's best efforts he hadn't given up on him. He continued to treat him like a friend, instead of his boyfriend's freeloading family member.

Renee was the next to approach him. She handed him a bottle of beer. "I've scoped out the guys that Nicky's trying to set you up with. Steer clear. One of them is a raw vegan."

Andrew just sighed and took a swig of his beer.

"Another one is named Chad," said Renee. "I asked if he was from Burbank and he said that he was a citizen of the world. Where does Nicky find these people?"

"We're in Southern California. They're everywhere."

She grinned. "At least the cake is good."

Andrew resigned himself to eating cake and making small talk for a couple hours, until everyone finally started clearing out.

"I'll come by tomorrow for a ride to work," said Renee as she was leaving.

"Well," said Nicky nervously once they were alone. "I hope you had a happy birthday."

"You didn't have to do this for me," Andrew said.

"I know," said Nicky, biting his lip. "I just worry. I want you to be happy."

"I'm doing well, Nicky," Andrew assured him.

"I know," replied Nicky. "I just wish you had someone. I don't want you to be lonely."

"Come on, babe," said Erik. "Andrew will find the right person for him. Someone will be able to see the great guy that we know he is, but you can't force it."

"But how will it happen if he doesn't put in any effort?" asked Nicky.

Andrew left them to their minor argument and slipped back into his room. As he started changing for bed, his computer pinged. He went to investigate and was surprised to see a message from his twin brother Aaron.

He hadn't seen or heard from Aaron in over five years. They hadn't met until they were teenagers, and although their early years together had been rocky, they'd worked everything out by the time they were both accepted to Stanford. For most of their time there they'd been roommates working towards degrees in Engineering. Things had fallen apart their senior year, when Aaron had walked in on Andrew making out with a guy. After that, Aaron had distanced himself from Andrew, culminating in him framing Andrew for cheating on one of his finals. Andrew had been expelled, only one credit short of getting his degree, and he hadn't heard from Aaron since.

So he was a little surprised to be getting a birthday message from him. He clicked on it, and it opened a new window with text in it.

A WILD ORC APPROACHES

The cursor blinked on the line below the text. Andrew watched it, remembering. It was a text based video game that he and Aaron had designed in the early years of college when things were still good between them. He debated whether or not to answer. It had taken him years and many sessions with his therapist before he could even talk about his past with Aaron without getting violently angry, and Aaron's actions still caused him pain.

His curiosity got the better of him and he hesitantly started typing.

I EQUIP MY IRON KNIFE

Andrew could remember what his character was carrying and Aaron would know, too; they shared an eidetic memory. It was an inside joke between them about how Andrew's characters were always armed to the teeth with knives.

The cursor blinked a couple times before new words appeared.

IDENTITY CONFIRMED BEGIN FILE TRANSFER

The file was huge, and as soon as it started transferring, images started popping up on Andrew's screen. He stood transfixed, unable to look away as thousands of images flashed before his eyes.

He didn't know how long he watched; the next thing he was aware of was the smell of smoke and Nicky shrieking over the sound of the smoke alarm.

Andrew was lying on the floor of his room and his head was pounding. He looked around; his computer tower had evidently been on fire. Nicky was beating at it with a heavy blanket while Erik sprayed it with a fire extinguisher. Nicky then opened one of Andrew's windows and waved the smoke away from the smoke detector until it ceased beeping. Andrew lay back and groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead. "What happened?" he muttered.

"I was going to ask you that," said Nicky. "We smelled smoke and then the detector started going off. We came in here to find a small fire and you passed out on the floor!"

"I don't remember," said Andrew, which was slightly worrying, given his memory. "I was using my computer… It must have overheated."

"Are you alright?" asked Erik.

"I think so," said Andrew. "I have a headache."

"You should go to a clinic," said Nicky fretfully. "You may have inhaled smoke."

"No," said Andrew.

"Let me check your throat, then," said Erik, who was a doctor. Andrew agreed and Erik gave him a quick check up. "I can't find anything wrong with you," he said, and then gave Andrew a list of symptoms for which he should seek treatment immediately.

The unexpected fire had delayed Andrew's routine enough that Renee arrived when he was still in the shower. She gave him a concerned look as he crossed the hall from the washroom to his bedroom. He quickly took his medication and turned to his closet. After getting dressed in his work uniform of a white short-sleeved dress shirt and black pants, he turned on the fan and pointed it towards the open window to help dissipate the smell of smoke and burning plastic. Erik had already taken the melted computer out to the dumpster.

Andrew emerged from his room, tying his tie and adjusting his armbands, to find Nicky still fretting over him.

"Are you sure you should go to work?" he asked. "You could call in sick."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Andrew," said Renee. "I can explain to Wymack why you're away."

"I'm going to work," said Andrew with finality. Despite living with his cousin, he wasn't willing to accept something for nothing. He insisted on paying rent for his room, and he bought his own food. Now he'd need to replace his computer, and despite the fact that he'd get a discount from work, he couldn't lose money by taking time off.

"Okay," said Nicky. "Can you pick up a replacement fire extinguisher sometime today?"

"I'll go to the Large-Mart on my lunch break," Andrew promised as he followed Renee out the door.

His car was parked nearby. He couldn't afford a car of his own on his salary, but he did have the use of a car for work. Unfortunately, that meant he drove a white VW Beetle with the Nerd Herd logo emblazoned on the side. His university-aged self would have shuddered in disdain and refused to be seen near such a vehicle, but he had matured in the last five years and he wasn't about to turn up his nose at a virtually free car.

His head was still pounding and Renee was observant enough to leave him in peace as he mindlessly drove the familiar path to work, with the drone of the local news playing in the background. The newscaster mentioned road closures near the airport due to construction, and Andrew's mind flashed back to an image of a hummingbird. His mind flooded with information: the roads were closed because a NATO general was flying into town. Recent death threats against him meant that his itinerary was top secret.

"Andrew?" said Renee, hesitantly. "The light's green."

He shook himself, wondering why he was suddenly imagining stories about NATO generals, and resumed driving, making sure to focus on his surroundings.

When they arrived at work, they separated. Renee, in her khakis and green polo shirt, was a salesperson, while Andrew worked at the Nerd Herd IT helpdesk. His two coworkers, Allison and Matt, were already at their kiosk in the back corner of the store. Despite her uniform, Allison looked ready for a magazine cover shoot. Andrew noticed that she was wearing a very short skirt instead of pants today, which meant that she was likely in an off-again period of her on-again, off-again relationship with Seth, one of the store's salesmen.

Matt passed him the daily duty roster that Dan, the assistant manager, had created. Matt had a couple off-site repairs to do that morning, and Allison was assigned to their helpline, so Andrew was responsible for any walk-in customers. He took a seat at the front of the kiosk and prepared himself for another mind-numbing day of boredom and rude customers.

* * *

Andrew was staring blankly ahead, completely tuning out the ranting of a man who was angry that Andrew wasn't going to fix his computer for free, even though it was under warranty.

"Again, sir, the warranty doesn't cover you hitting your computer with a hammer," he said flatly, wishing that he didn't care about keeping his job. Ignoring this guy or threatening him with a knife both seemed like better options than being patient and polite.

"There were all these pop ups asking me for money!" argued the man. "The least you could do-"

"The least _you_ could do is treat service workers with respect," said another customer from behind the irate man. The man stopped with a shocked expression and turned towards the newcomer. He was short, barely taller than Andrew's five feet, with curly reddish-brown hair and piercing blue eyes.

"I'd bet that the pop ups were your fault, too?" he continued, as if he didn't notice that the much-larger man was pulling himself up threateningly. "Porn sites, right? I don't imagine that someone like you could get any in real life-"

"How dare-" started the man, taking a step forward.

"-but that doesn't give you the right to harass people at their place of work. So do everyone here a favour, install anti-virus software, and show some respect for your possessions and for other people's time." The redhead stepped into the larger man's space, looking up at him with hard eyes. "Leave now," he said, unmistakable command in his voice. The other man slumped, evidently recognizing the danger that seemed to ooze from the tiny redhead, despite his size. It sent a thrill up Andrew's spine.

Once the irate customer had slunk off, the redhead stepped up to the counter with a sheepish expression.

"I don't need your protection," Andrew told him.

"As much as I would like to claim myself a knight in shining armour, that had a lot more to do with me than it did with you," said the man with a shrug. "I've had an awful couple days and acting like an asshole to people who deserve it always makes me feel better." He gave Andrew a sunny smile. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Andrew," he said, eyeing Andrew's name tag. "I'm Neil, and I'm having problems with my phone." He passed over an older-model grey flip phone.

"Well, I can see right away that your problem is that you're using a flip phone and it's not 2006," said Andrew.

"I find that the old flip phones are sturdier," said Neil, sounding amused. "I kept breaking my smartphones. But suddenly the battery cover on this one has started repeatedly falling off."

"What were you doing that you kept breaking smartphones?" asked Andrew, pulling out one of their tiny repair screwdrivers. He could see that the casing just had to be tightened.

"Well, it turns out that they don't like being dropped from great heights, or being run over by cars, or being dunked in large bodies of water. And they're not bulletproof in the slightest."

"Let me guess: you work for the mob," said Andrew.

"Maybe I'm running from my past associations with the mob," replied Neil. "Or maybe I'm just a giant klutz."

"No, I'm pretty sure I'm right. You're a tiny, tiny mob boss." Andrew tightened the screws and replaced the battery cover. "That should do it," he said, handing the phone back to Neil.

"Tiny? You hypocrite," said Neil. Andrew just flexed his bicep, showing off how _not_ tiny he was and Neil laughed. "What do I owe you?"

"Small repairs like that are free," said Andrew.

"Alright," said Neil. He rapped his knuckles on the counter. "It was nice to meet you, Andrew. Maybe I'll see you around sometime." He gave Andrew a mock salute as he left.

"Were you flirting?" asked Allison incredulously from somewhere behind him. She was giving him a look as if he were a completely new species that she'd never encountered before. "It's hard to tell because you didn't change your expression, but I'm pretty sure that was flirting."

"No," said Andrew.

"I don't blame you," she continued, ignoring his response. "I would definitely tap that."

Andrew didn't answer, but silently agreed with her. He spent the rest of the morning resolutely not thinking about ice blue eyes or running his hands through auburn curls or having lithe thighs wrapped around his hips.

* * *

As promised, Andrew headed over to the nearby Large-Mart at lunch time to pick up a new fire extinguisher. His headache had subsided, but he was still feeling out of sorts, so he wasn't happy when he got a glimpse of a stranger's face in the hardware section that made his brain flash up an image like it had during the news report that morning. The man's face somehow made him think of a picture of chrysanthemums and his brain flooded with the information that the man examining tools in the Burbank Large-Mart was Vladislav Umarov, a demolitions expert with ties to Chechen separatists.

Andrew realized that he'd been standing in place too long, staring at the man. In all likelihood this man was _not_ a terrorist, despite what Andrew's brain was insisting, but he still seemed dangerous enough that Andrew shouldn't incite his ire.

He found the fire extinguishers quickly and then hightailed it back to the BuyMore, confused as to what was happening to him. On his way into the store, he bumped into another man, who reached out and steadied him. Andrew instinctively shied away from his touch, having enough control over himself to refrain from attacking the man.

"Sorry," the man apologized. "Do you work here?"

Andrew looked up at the man - who was unfairly attractive, with dark hair and green eyes - and nodded.

"Well," said the man, brushing down his suit, "I'm here to apply for a position. Can you direct me to the store manager?"

Andrew escorted the man to Wymack's office, more or less ignoring the awkward small talk that he attempted to engage Andrew in.

"Thank you," said the man when they arrived. "I'm Kevin, by the way. Kevin Day." He reached out to shake Andrew's hand.

"Andrew Minyard," replied Andrew, eyeing Kevin's offered hand with distaste.

"Well, Andrew it was nice to meet you. Hopefully we'll be working together soon."

Andrew didn't reply and returned to the Nerd Herd kiosk.

"Huh," said Allison, having watched the newcomer's trip across the store. "Did you make a deal with the devil? What's with all the hot guys acting interested in you?"

"It's been a weird day," he replied, completely honestly.

* * *

He had no more strange brain hiccups that day and was feeling mostly back to normal by the following afternoon. He was perusing the store inventory, trying to find an appropriate replacement for his computer, when there was the sound of a throat clearing. He looked up to find Neil hovering at the kiosk counter.

"Are you still having problems with your phone?" he asked.

"Yes," said Neil. "I met a cute guy yesterday and my phone doesn't have his number in it."

"Oh," said Andrew, unaccountably disappointed.

Neil looked at him incredulously. "You know I'm talking about you, right?"

"Oh," Andrew repeated dumbly.

Neil rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Look, I don't normally do this. And I know that hitting on people at their place of work is awful, because they can't tell you to fuck off without potential consequences, so I just want to assure you that if you say no I'll leave and never come back. But I'm new in town and I don't know anybody, and I knew that if I didn't come ask you out I would be kicking myself for squandering an opportunity."

"You want to go out with me?"

"Yeah," said Neil, looking surprised at Andrew's disbelief. "I thought there was something there. If you don't agree, that's fine, but you just seemed really… interesting."

"That took you a very long time to come up with a compliment."

Neil grinned. "Well, I _was_ going to say that you seemed nice, but I don't like lying."

"You're new in town?" asked Andrew.

"Just got here earlier this week."

"There's a club I like that's not too far from here," he continued. "We could go, if you want."

"That sounds great," said Neil enthusiastically. "Tonight? Here, put your number in my phone."

They exchanged numbers and worked out the details of their date before Neil said he'd let Andrew get back to work and left, looking back once with a smile on his way out of the store.

Andrew turned to find both Allison and Matt gaping at him.

"High five!" said Matt, putting up one of his shovel-sized hands. Andrew ignored him. "Oh, well, I'll give myself a high five," he said, doing so. "You deserve it for pulling someone so hot."

"You are batting far above average with that one," agreed Allison. "Hey, Renee!" she called to where Renee was just in earshot. "Your boy snagged a hot date for this evening!"

Renee smiled in response, but didn't make a big fuss since she knew that Andrew wouldn't like it. There was going to be enough screeching and excitement when Andrew told Nicky about his upcoming date when he got home from work.

* * *

As expected, Nicky was beside himself with glee when Andrew told him about his plans for that evening. He insisted on helping Andrew pick what he was going to wear (which was obviously going to be black jeans and a tight black t-shirt that put Andrew's shoulders and biceps on display) and generally preened like a proud parent of an antisocial teenager who had just made a new friend.

They'd decided to get dinner before heading to Eden's Twilight, so Andrew met Neil at a little Mexican place that he liked. Their dinner conversation was engaging; Andrew was surprised to find himself not losing any interest in Neil who didn't seem to mind Andrew's frequent silences. He noticed that Neil was a little cagey about his past, but it wasn't like Andrew was being completely forthcoming and blurting out his close-kept secrets. All in all, Andrew found himself really enjoying Neil's company and wanting to see more of him.

They walked to the club; Neil, while being mindful of Andrew's space, kept subtly checking their surroundings with an eagle eye, making Andrew wonder if he was, in fact, running from someone. He was distracted by his thoughts by a motorcade passing nearby. The hummingbird picture was back, and his brain told him that this was General Waterhouse's motorcade, on his was to address NATO members about recent terrorism in Chechnya.

Neil noticed his distraction, but didn't ask and Andrew tried to shake off the feeling of dread. They arrived at the club and took a seat at the bar, continuing their dinner conversation. Neil seemed a little uneasy in the crowd, his eyes roaming restlessly, until suddenly his entire frame froze with tension. The next moment, he was sliding off his stool, reaching for Andrew but stopping short of touching him.

"Let's dance," he said.

"I don't dance," replied Andrew.

Neil nodded over his shoulder. "Then let's get lost in the crowd."

Andrew followed the motion of his head and spotted someone who didn't belong. He couldn't see the man's face, but he was wearing a suit which had a telltale bulge that indicated that he was armed. He carried himself stiffly, like a cop or someone with military training.

"Is he after you?" he asked Neil, getting off his stool and following as Neil weaved through the crowd.

"He's after you," replied Neil shortly, having to raise his voice to be heard over the music.

Andrew stopped. "Why?"

"Let's get out of here and I'll tell you," said Neil, headed to one of the back exits. They emerged in the back alley. Neil looked around to get his bearings and chose a direction.

"What's going on?" asked Andrew.

"We have to get out of here," said Neil. They reached the street that intersected the alley and Neil headed towards one of the parked cars. It was a jet black Maserati, the type of car that Andrew could never afford but that he desperately wanted. Neil slipped a couple picks out of his back pocket and started to break into the car. It probably said something about Andrew that he found Neil committing a crime to be incredibly attractive.

Neil popped the lock and opened the door. "Get in," he said. "I'll explain when we're safe."

Andrew hesitated, before deciding that he'd rather deal with Neil than with the cop from the club. Besides, he frequented the gym regularly and was skilled in self-defence (he took classes, which was where he'd met Renee) and he had at least thirty pounds of muscle on Neil. He climbed into the passenger seat as Neil hotwired the car. The engine turned over just as a giant, black SUV turned the corner.

"Fuck," hissed Neil, and slammed on the gas. A couple bullets pinged off the back bumper.

"So you weren't lying when you said that smartphones aren't bulletproof enough for you?" said Andrew, feeling strangely calm.

"Nope," said Neil tightly, yanking on the parking brake and taking a hard corner.

"Are you a criminal, then?"

Neil huffed a laugh. "Worse. I'm CIA."

"What does the CIA want with me?"

"A rogue agent sent you top secret files," said Neil. "We don't want them to fall into the wrong hands."

"What are you talking about?"

"Two nights ago, all our Intersect files were downloaded and sent to your computer."

"Intersect?"

"Intelligence agencies in this country need a way to pool their data without stepping on each other's toes," said Neil wryly, accelerating around another corner, his eyes on the reflection of their pursuers. "We have a centralized computer called the Intersect. All our intel is encoded into images that can't be interpreted easily and stored in the Intersect which is able to mine the data for patterns. Very few people know that it exists and it is very worrying that a civilian is in possession of our secrets."

"I did receive a file two nights ago. But it wasn't from the CIA. It was from my brother."

"Is it still on your computer?"

"My computer caught fire."

"The data is gone? You're sure it's not recoverable? You don't have an external drive, or backups in the cloud?"

"No," said Andrew, just as another black SUV came out of nowhere and clipped their car. They spun several times and the engine sputtered off.

Neil launched himself out of the car, gun in hand. "Stay behind me," he ordered.

The SUV pulled up and a man in a suit got out, pointing a gun at the two of them. Andrew did a double take when he realized that it was Kevin Day, the man that had applied to work at the BuyMore the day before.

"Goddammit, Day," shouted Neil. "You shot at me!"

"That's Major Day to you, you little spook," said Kevin. "What do I even call you? Alex? Stefan? Chris? Every time we run into each other you have a different name."

"It's Neil," he said through gritted teeth.

"Well, Neil," said Kevin, taking the safety off his gun. "Step away from my asset."

"He's not yours, Kevin," said Neil.

"He was sent NSA secrets, I have a right to him."

"He got just as many CIA secrets," argued Neil, "and his computer is busted, he doesn't have the files."

"Why were they sent to him in the first place? What was his brother doing?"

"Why don't you ask the agent who sent the files?" asked Andrew. "And what does Aaron have to do with anything?"

"Your brother Aaron was the rogue agent who sent you the files," said Kevin, relaxing slightly so that he was no longer pointing his gun at them. "But we can't ask him why, he's dead."

Everything inside Andrew stilled. He hadn't been close with his brother, but he hadn't wanted him dead. He hadn't been hopeful that the two of them would reconnect, but to have the possibility taken away left him feeling breathless.

"Real tactful, Kevin," grumbled Neil, before turning to Andrew. "Aaron was recruited to the CIA out of university," he said, holding out his hand placatingly but not moving to grab Andrew. "Two days ago he went rogue and broke into the facility that housed the Intersect. He sent the files to you and then destroyed the mainframe. He was killed in the explosion."

"I-" said Andrew, turning away. As he did so, he caught sight of a nearby hotel. His brain flashed him a picture of a river, and all the information he'd acquired during the last two days came together. "There's a bomb in that hotel," he said.

"What?" asked Kevin, raising his gun again. "Is that a threat?"

"Shut up, Kevin," ordered Neil. "Why do you say that?" he asked Andrew.

"I've had a strange couple days," said Andrew. "I keep getting flashes of information. I know about the NSA plans for General Waterhouse, that he's giving a talk in that hotel. And I saw a Chechen demolitions expert in the Large-Mart yesterday, the CIA has been watching the group he's affiliated with. He's here to kill the general."

"I thought you said he didn't have the files!" shouted Kevin.

"He can't!" countered Neil. "Even if he looked at the pictures, it takes a perfect, eidetic memory to be able to interpret them!"

"Funny story..." said Andrew.

Neil stared at him for a couple beats. "Fuck," he swore, and then both he and Kevin took out their phones, calling in bomb threats to their superiors and to the local police.

Andrew took a seat in the back of Kevin's SUV, feeling numb. He was trying to wrap his mind around the knowledge that Aaron was dead and that he'd send Andrew government secrets that were now trapped in his head. He didn't know how long he sat there as Neil and Kevin argued with each other and into their phones. Eventually Neil knocked on the side of the car to get his attention.

"The bomb was found and disarmed," he said.

Andrew just stared blankly.

"Come on," said Neil. "I'll take you home."

* * *

Andrew looked at his cousin's house, but couldn't bring himself to go inside just yet. Luckily it was late enough that Nicky would have given up waiting for him to get home from his date.

He took a seat on the edge of the fountain in the shared courtyard. "What now?" he asked Neil.

Neil took a seat beside him. "Now…" he trailed off. "You're the only way to access our joint intel," he said. "Luckily no one knows that or you would be in danger. Kevin and I will keep an eye on you and you'll have to help us out until we can replace the Intersect."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Kevin and his boss were lobbying for you to be taken into custody and never let out to see the light of day again," said Neil. "This way is better."

"So you're just going to follow me around?"

"No," said Neil. "We'll have to integrate ourselves into your life; your family and friends can't know about this or else they'll be in danger."

"What's going to happen?"

"Kevin's going to set up in one of these houses," said Neil. He pointed at the townhouse two away from Nicky's that had a FOR SALE sign attached to it. "The NSA's going to purchase that one. And he's already applied at the BuyMore, so he'll be working there."

"And you?"

Neil grimaced. "My boss, Agent Browning, said something about a base of operations near the BuyMore. Some kind of German restaurant?"

"There's a wiener place in the strip mall across the parking lot."

"I'm pretty sure he just wants to make fun of me for wearing lederhosen," grumbled Neil.

Andrew's mind short circuited as he considered whether or not Neil in lederhosen was attractive. Probably yes, but only because Neil seemed like he would be attractive no matter what he was wearing.

"My cover will be as your boyfriend," finished Neil.

"Are you even gay?" asked Andrew. "Or are you just pretending?"

"I'm not really anything," Neil shrugged. "My lifestyle is not really conducive to getting close to people, and I've never met anyone worth the risk."

"How'd you know about me?"

"Well, you did pretty blatantly check me out," said Neil. "But I had insider information. More than once Aaron said that pretty mouthy assholes like me were exactly your type."

"Aaron called you pretty?"

"I may have inferred that part," said Neil smiling.

"...You know Aaron?"

Neil's smile disappeared. "We were partners for four years."

"You dated my brother?" asked Andrew, feeling queasy.

"What? No! Ew," said Neil, looking a little incredulous. "We were _CIA_ partners."

"Why does anyone trust you, then? Shouldn't you have known what he was planning?"

"We were sent on separate assignments about six months ago. I hadn't heard anything from him until Browning told me about the explosion. I volunteered to come investigate because I knew I was the only one who had any background information about you." His gaze hardened. "I'm going to find out what happened to him, why he went rogue. I promise you."

"What's that worth? A promise from a liar?" asked Andrew. "It's like Day said: your identity changes so often, you're impossible to know. 'Neil' isn't a real person."

"No," agreed Neil. "But underneath all my personas I have a core that I can't change. Don't trust 'Neil', trust me."

"How can I? I don't even know you."

"You will," said Neil. He leaned towards Andrew as if he was going to knock their shoulders together but he again stopped short of actually touching Andrew, seemingly having a sixth sense for his boundaries. "You should get some sleep. You had a long day."

Andrew watched as Neil left the courtyard and frowned. Neil was extremely dangerous. Not because he was a highly skilled CIA agent and likely killer, but because Andrew found him interesting.

He shook his head and stood, heading inside while reminding himself not to fall for the hot CIA agent who lied as easily as breathing and who was currently pretending to be his boyfriend in order to protect the secrets in his head. He should have known then that it was futile.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written for the AFTG Bingo Andreil card squares "It's not a date!" and Hug and comment.

"Are you going to be home for dinner?" asked Nicky.

Andrew looked up from tying his shoes. "I'm not sure," he said. "I'll have to check with Neil."

Having the Intersect in his head was a lot more boring than he had originally assumed. Most evenings he spent holed up with Kevin and Neil looking at documents and trying to make the Intersect flash him useful intel. A couple times they'd gone on missions where Andrew'd had to identify a person or object with the information stored in his memory. Usually that meant he got to watch Neil adopt a completely new persona through a camera feed. The only thing that was even slightly interesting about the whole ordeal was that Neil was teaching him advanced fighting techniques and training him with both knives and guns.

Nicky's sigh and smile were both a little wistful. "I'm so proud of you," he said, "but I feel like I never see you anymore!"

"He and Neil are still in the honeymoon phase, babe," said Erik from where he was preparing vegetables to blend into a truly revolting-looking green smoothie. "Remember our honeymoon phase? We barely came up for air for four months."

"Yeah," said Nicky with a dreamy look on his face. "Good times. But I still miss spending time with Andrew."

"We see each other all the time," said Andrew, although he secretly agreed. He had had a lot less time for both Nicky and Renee recently. "We're seeing each other right now."

"As you're leaving for work," said Nicky.

"Why don't you invite Neil over to have dinner with us?" suggested Erik.

"Ooo, yes!" cheered Nicky. "It's about time we got to know him better anyway. You've already been dating for almost two months."

"I'll ask him," said Andrew, despite not wanting to bring his cover boyfriend to a double date with his actually-happily-in-love cousin. He knew it was inevitable; Nicky would never let it go now that the idea was in his head. "I'm heading over to Kevin's, see you later."

"You certainly are spending a lot of time with our new neighbour," said Nicky. "I hope you're not scouting out a replacement boyfriend already!" His tone was mostly teasing but it had an undercurrent of worry.

"We work together and he and Neil knew each other before they met me," said Andrew, which was true, "so we've become friends." Which was… a stretch.

This time Nicky's smile was happy and proud. "Look at you, being all social."

"Goodbye," said Andrew, leaving the house before Nicky could start actually cooing. He traversed the outer courtyard and typed in the code to unlock Kevin's door without setting off ten thousand intruder alarms. Kevin was nowhere to be found on the lower level but Neil was sitting on the kitchen counter eating a bowl of what looked to be plain oatmeal.

Andrew made a face. "Don't you have taste buds?"

"When you live the kind of life I do you learn to be happy eating almost anything."

"You must have preferences," insisted Andrew, trying to get Neil to admit at least one personal detail. In the two months since they'd met Neil had remained opaque, sidestepping all questions about himself. He was still a virtual stranger despite all the time they spent together. Andrew found himself wanting more.

"I once ate only grasshoppers for two weeks," said Neil. "Anything is better than that."

"That sounds like a story."

"It's not very interesting," Neil said. "Also classified."

Kevin came stomping down the stairs then, dressed in his green BuyMore polo and beige khakis. He was a pretty attractive man but even he couldn't make the outfit stylish. He made a disgusted noise when he saw Neil. "Get off the counter. What are you, an animal? I have chairs."

"He likes to pretend to be tall," said Andrew.

"You let animals on your counters?" Neil asked Kevin, with a mock glare at Andrew for his comment.

"I hate you both," grumbled Kevin.

"Good morning to you, too, Sunshine," said Neil.

"Fuck you."

"I made coffee," said Neil, using his spoon to point to the full pot.

Kevin grunted. "Fine, you can stay." He poured a mugful and practically inhaled it. He refilled his cup and then blinked at Neil. "What are you doing here, anyway? We're heading to work soon."

"I know," said Neil. "I'll see you later. I have a shift at the Wiener Haus this afternoon but I wanted to give you a heads up that Browning is sending us out tonight."

"Where?" asked Kevin, simultaneously suspicious and eager.

"Natural History Museum," replied Neil. "There's been some chatter about black market illegal and stolen artifacts making their way through the museum and he want us to take Andrew there to see if he flashes on anything."

Andrew tuned them out as they started discussing logistics, wondering how he had become so powerless in his own life. Had Aaron known that this would happen when he sent Andrew the Intersect files? Or had he simply been desperate, reaching out to the only person he could think of?

"Hey," said Neil, getting his attention. He had moved when Andrew wasn't paying attention and was standing right in front of him. "You okay? Don't worry about the mission; it's a milk run."

Andrew shrugged. "Sounds fine," he said. "Oh, and Nicky wants you to come over for dinner sometime soon."

"That makes sense: as far as he knows we've been a couple for almost two months now," said Neil in consideration. "You can set it up for later this week; things have been pretty quiet." He glanced toward the front door. "Renee should be here soon for her ride to work, so I'm going to take off. See you at lunch."

As Neil left through the back so that none of Andrew's friends or family would see him, Andrew looked over to Kevin who was on his third cup of coffee and glowering.

"Why couldn't you work somewhere where the shifts _don't_ start at the ass-crack of dawn?" he muttered.

"It's 8:30," said Andrew.

* * *

Shortly before one o'clock Neil entered the BuyMore dressed in the lederhosen that made up his work uniform. He approached the Nerd Herd kiosk, cheerfully greeting Dan and Renee as he passed them.

Andrew was sitting at the desk with Matt and Allison on either side of him, the two of them watching the sales floor with interest.

"Hey," said Neil with the smile that he only ever gave to Andrew. Andrew wasn't sure if it was genuine or not, but it made butterflies flap around in his chest. "I brought you food." He glanced at Matt and Allison who hadn't bothered to greet him. "What's going on?" he asked in bemusement.

"Kevin's arrogance and competitiveness have finally made Seth crack," said Andrew boredly. "He challenged Kevin to a sell-off."

"A sell-off?"

"Whoever can sell the most wins," said Allison. "Unfortunately Seth didn't take into account his general offputting abrasiveness and assholishness."

"It's not like Kevin isn't _also_ an asshole," said Neil.

"True," agreed Matt, "but he has a hell of a customer service face. Basically Seth is getting progressively angrier and we're pretty sure it's going to come to blows."

"Meanwhile, dark horse Renee over there is going to win by being calm and polite," said Allison.

"And Dan doesn't know what to do, because on one hand they're making sales, but on the other hand there's definitely going to be punching," said Matt.

"Huh," said Neil. "Well, they probably both deserve to be punched a little." He looked back to Andrew and held up his Wiener Haus takeout bag. "Lunch?"

Andrew led Neil back into the break room and unpacked the takeout bag to find a German sausage and a soft pretzel (the menu at Neil's work was limited).

"Slow morning?" asked Neil.

Andrew just shrugged. Neil respected Andrew's reticence to speak and the two of them settled into a quiet lunch break.

"God, you two are the least coupley couple ever," said Allison, passing through the break room to grab a cup of coffee.

"Do you really expect Andrew to engage in affection in public?" asked Neil. "Wouldn't it be more surprising if we were making out in front of you all the time?"

"And _you_ want to do that?" said Andrew.

"Do I seem like the type?" said Neil with a smile. Andrew couldn't help but notice that he'd once again sidestepped answering a very basic personal question.

"Okay, point, but you could at least talk to each other," said Allison.

"Don't underestimate the allure of restful silence," said Neil.

Allison scoffed and exited the break room. Neil checked his watch and started gathering up their garbage. "I'll pick you up at eight?" he asked. At Andrew's nod he concluded, "Alright, it's a date."

"It's not a date," said Andrew sharply, surprising himself with his tone. Neil was visibly taken aback. "If it were a date we'd go somewhere we both enjoyed and get to know each other better. And Kevin wouldn't be there," he said in explanation.

Neil gave him a thoughtful look.

"Don't look at me like that," muttered Andrew. He didn't like how Neil seemed to see through him sometimes, how he understood him while still being an enigma to Andrew.

"Okay," said Neil placidly. "I'll see you at eight for our outing. Wear dark colours."

"I guess I won't wear my bright orange shirt," said Andrew dryly.

* * *

Neil showed up punctually at eight driving his nondescript grey sedan. Andrew was pretty certain that, like Neil, the car was more than met the eye; its acceleration and handling were suspiciously much better than they should have been.

"I sent Kevin on ahead to hack into the security system and do surveillance," said Neil. He rolled out his shoulders. "It feels good to be infiltrating again."

"The museum is a public building," Andrew pointed out. "Couldn't we just pay admission and look around?"

"If you want to be technical about it, yes we could," said Neil. "But what we're looking for is most likely going to be in storage. Also, Kevin's been without spy shenanigans for a couple months now and he's clearly getting twitchy seeing as he's instigating ridiculous competitions with his civilian coworkers."

"Did you just refer to your job as 'shenanigans'?"

"Don't get me wrong, spying is mostly surveillance and intel gathering. But sometimes we get to do things that are fun."

"Like sneaking into the Natural History Museum."

"Beggars can't be choosers," said Neil, with an amused glance. "Besides who doesn't love sneaking?"

Kevin met them near the museum with a complicated seven-point plan that required split second coordination. Neil patiently let him go through it without any interruptions.

"I don't know how to rappel and I'm not going to learn," said Andrew once Kevin had outlined everything. "I'm going home right now if you try to get me on the roof."

"We've overridden their camera feeds, we know the guard patrol patterns, and Kevin lifted the code to the side door," Neil said. "Don't worry, Andrew, we're just going to walk into the building."

Kevin sniffed. "That plan is basic and lacks artistry."

"Yours is needlessly complicated," replied Neil. "Let's go."

It went as smoothly as Neil said, the three of them strolling into the building easily. Andrew got slightly distracted as they passed the dinosaur exhibit.

"What is it?" whispered Neil. "Did you flash on something?"

"No," said Andrew.

"Is something wrong? Should we go in there?" jumped in Kevin.

"No," said Andrew more forcefully. The two of them were still watching him, so he admitted, "...I just like dinosaurs."

"Our plan doesn't have any time allotted to enjoying the exhibits," said Kevin sourly.

"Your plan barely had time allotted to complete the mission," retorted Neil. "We would have been too busy doing ninja rolls."

"And falling to our deaths," added Andrew.

Kevin huffed but didn't respond, leading them back into the museum's collections that weren't out for display. Neil suggested they start their search with the most recent arrivals. Once there he and Kevin got to work carefully unpacking different artifacts for Andrew to look at and then repacking them when the Intersect didn't offer up any information.

It took nearly seventy minutes before anything happened. A picture of a black bird was brought to mind when Andrew glimpsed an artifact that was labelled as coming from Syria.

"That was reported stolen," he said. "Those, too," he added, pointing at a couple other pieces in the same crate.

"Probably a case of war profiteering," said Neil. Kevin breathed in sharply. Neil gave him a look of consideration before saying, "I'll check the shipping manifest."

Kevin kept unpacking priceless objects for Andrew to look at while Neil dug through paperwork.

"Here it is," Neil finally said. "I'll send it to Browning so he can look into the seller and the buyer and the appraiser. If it is black market it's going to be difficult to trace the money through various shell corporations."

Andrew glanced at the paperwork and flashed again, but this time the information wasn't quite as clear. "I think the intel's incomplete or corrupted," he said. "Something about… ravens?"

Both Neil and Kevin went completely still; Neil's eyes flew to Kevin whose jaw clenched. Andrew glanced back and forth between them.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"Kevin," said Neil slowly.

Kevin pushed a crate away from himself. "So these two crates? There weren't any more?" he asked Andrew. "I'm going to go do a perimeter check," he said when Andrew shook his head and started to stalk away.

"I believe you didn't have anything to do with it," said Neil quietly as Kevin passed him.

Kevin stiffened for a beat before shuddering like a cat shedding water. "Minority opinion," he said roughly before he left.

Andrew looked expectantly at Neil but he just shook his head. "Later."

It wasn't until they were back in the car on the way home - having left Kevin to switch the camera feeds back despite Neil's clear unwillingness to leave Kevin alone - before Andrew broached the topic again. "What was that about?"

Neil was silent for a couple beats and Andrew thought that he was going to ignore the question or claim that it was classified. "Kevin used to be a member of an elite military black-ops team called the Ravens," he finally said haltingly. "They were widely praised, the best of the best, and Kevin was their second-in-command. About four years ago there was an… incident. It's still highly classified; I don't know exactly what happened, but Kevin found out that the Ravens were involved in torture and extortion and war profiteering."

"What did he do?"

"He reported it. Many of them cut and run; those who didn't had trials and were jailed."

"Are the ones who cut and run still at large?"

"No," said Neil. "They were considered dangerous, high-priority targets. The manhunt was handed over to the CIA. Aaron and I even got tasked with a couple retrievals. We were sent to bring them back dead or alive. Most of them didn't let us take them in alive." He was quiet for a few minutes, obviously lost in thought. He shook himself and continued, "Kevin's career suffered. Everyone assumed that either he was as guilty as the rest of them and cut a deal to stay free or was incredibly incompetent for allowing the activities to occur right under his nose."

"Which do you think it was?" asked Andrew.

"I think Kevin was only guilty of willful blindness, of not believing that the people he knew could be capable of such things, especially since the Ravens' leader was his childhood friend."

"He was obviously cleared of wrongdoing if he's working for the NSA," Andrew pointed out.

"True, but that doesn't mean he's not being punished," said Neil. "Long term protection details of civilian targets are not usually the types of assignments given to agents with Kevin's or my skill and experience."

"So what are you being punished for?"

Neil sent him a sidelong look. "I already told you why I'm here. Aaron may have been a giant asshole but he was my friend and he saved my ass at least once. The least I owe him is to protect one of the only people he cared for."

"Aaron didn't care about me," said Andrew reflexively. "He tried to ruin my life when he found out I'm gay."

"I admit that I don't know the story but that doesn't sound like the Aaron I knew," said Neil. "For as long as we were partners he was checking up on you and Nicky and worrying about your safety."

Andrew crossed his arms and glared out the window.

"Also, when we were tracking down the Ravens he specifically requested one of them as our target," Neil continued, "and he told me in no uncertain terms that we weren't going to bring Drake Spear in alive."

Andrew felt like he'd been sucker punched. "What do you know about Drake Spear?"

"I know he was your foster brother. I know he implicated himself as a pedophile and rapist when Aaron and I tracked him down," said Neil blandly, showing no emotion.

"How?" Andrew forced the word out.

"He mistook Aaron for you and made some comments. I'm sure you can imagine," replied Neil, still without betraying any feeling about what he was saying. "I know he's dead."

"Are you sure?"

"Aaron put six bullets in his brain and another six in his crotch. I'm sure."

Andrew felt overcome with emotions that he didn't have names for. He didn't know how to feel about both Aaron and Neil knowing about his past. He refused to say anything else until they arrived back at his house. "What now?" he asked, avoiding looking at Neil by staring out the window.

"I'll send the intel to Browning," said Neil, "and then go track down Kevin, who's probably drunk his way to the bottom of a barrel by now. And in two days we have date night with your cousin."

"Business as usual then," said Andrew, getting out of the car quickly. He wanted to put some distance between himself and what Neil had told him.

* * *

Nicky was still flitting around tidying up when the doorbell rang at exactly six o'clock. Andrew was feeling more balanced after a couple days to think about what Neil had said. Drake being dead was a good thing and he found that he didn't really mind that Neil knew his past. He didn't think Neil would use it against him or mention it ever again.

"You didn't tell me he was punctual," Nicky hissed at Andrew, shoving an armful of magazines onto a coffee table.

"Shouldn't you assume that everyone is punctual until proven otherwise?" asked Andrew, getting up to answer to door.

Nicky still beat him to it, throwing open the door and pulling Neil into a hug.

"Oh, we're hugging," said Neil, sending a panicked look to Andrew.

"We sure are," said Nicky. "Is that a gun or are you happy to see Andrew?" he teased.

"Oh," said Neil, pulling back. "It's a gun, sorry."

"Um…" said Nicky, at a loss.

"I've just now realized that you probably don't want a gun in your house," Neil babbled. "I know that Kevin has a gun safe so I'm just going to run over there and put this away safely." He grimaced at Andrew and quickly made his escape.

Nicky turned to look at Andrew with wide, incredulous eyes.

"He's from Texas," said Andrew.

Neil was still a little ruffled when he returned but Erik, who was practically a golden retriever, smoothed it over in no time.

"We were going to order pizza," he said genially. "Do you have any preference?"

"I eat everything, really," said Neil. "Just go ahead and get what you like."

"So, Andrew tells us you're from Texas," said Nicky as they settled in the living room with glasses of wine to wait for the food.

"Yes," said Neil with no hesitation or surprise. "My parents owned a cattle ranch a couple hours outside of Dallas."

"Then why don't you have a cute Texan accent?" pouted Nicky.

"I went to college in the northeast and it didn't take long before I learned that everyone assumed I was stupid based on the way I spoke," said Neil. "I put a lot of effort into flattening it out," his g's were dropping off and his vowels lengthening, "but I can still call it up for y'all."

Erik and Nicky were already enthralled and continued peppering Neil with questions. Neil answered them all seamlessly, asking about them in turn (demonstrating that he knew more about the two of them than Andrew had shared with him). Andrew had no idea whether he spoke a single true word and he found Neil's ease with lying disconcerting. Andrew had always been a good judge of character, able to tell if someone was lying to him. How could he ever trust Neil if he couldn't tell what was true?

Andrew was characteristically quiet all through dinner, watching as Neil painstakingly picked all the olives off of his pizza. He wondered where Neil's ability to eat anything had gone or whether this was another affectation for Nicky and Erik's sake.

When it was time for Neil to leave, Andrew stood too. "I'll drive you," he offered, despite the fact that Neil had driven himself over.

Nicky gave a catcall before pulling Andrew close. "He's great," he whispered. "I'm so happy for you."

Neil silently followed Andrew to his car, clearly having gotten the message that Andrew had something on his mind.

"Is this about what I told you the other night?" asked Neil.

"No," said Andrew. He drove in silence for several blocks before he spoke again, "I am not sure I can do this. You lie and you lie and you lie and then you ask me to trust you. How can I; I don't even know you. You sidestep every question about yourself. I don't even know your name."

Neil remained silent.

"You won't tell me your name? Your middle name? Anything?"

Neil took a deep breath. "My middle name is Abram," he said. His voice sounded like broken glass.

"Was that so difficult?"

"I don't see why that could possibly matter. Sure, I may lie about the little details but those aren't important," said Neil, sounding angry. "The important things don't have to be told. For instance, I know that you value fair deals and consent. That you would give up anything - your life, your happiness, your wellbeing - for those few people that you consider yours. I know that you prefer to communicate in ways other than words. I don't see how also knowing your favourite colour, or where you went to college, or who your parents were would let me know you any better." He was breathing heavily. "And if you still know nothing about me then you haven't been paying attention which is not my fault."

Andrew took a few moments to digest. "I know that you can lie as easily as you breathe," he finally said. "Your morality is surprisingly less black-and-white than I expected from someone in law enforcement. You are loyal to your friends." He paused. "And I know that you don't like olives on your pizza."

"I don't like olives, full stop."

"You could have mentioned that to Erik when he asked what you wanted on your pizza."

"Honestly, I forgot that olives are something that people put on otherwise perfectly good pizza."

"Is there a reason you hate them? And don't tell me it's classified."

"I got food poisoning in Greece once and my vomit tasted of olives for three days."

"Gross."

"You're the one who wanted to know," said Neil, sighing. "Andrew, I've never been allowed to be a real person before. I'm trying. I know that Kevin and I showed up and threw a lot of information at you and disrupted your life and that we haven't given you a lot of time to process. Can you at least try to believe that I'm on your side?"

Andrew considered before nodding. "I shouldn't trust you."

Neil looked pained. "And if pretending to date is too much for you then we can break up," said Neil. "You'd still have to spend time with me but we could say that we decided we'd be better as friends."

"No," said Andrew, not wanting to examine how quickly he responded in the negative to that proposal.

"Okay," said Neil. Andrew pulled up outside of his apartment building. "Take the next few days off from Intersect stuff," he offered. "I'll smooth it over with Kevin. We've been working you too hard; you deserve a break."

* * *

Andrew was enjoying having the house to himself on his rare day off that didn't coincide with either Nicky or Erik's day off. He was lounging on the couch in his sweats browsing Netflix when there was a knock on the door. He contemplated not answering it but heaved himself up anyway.

It was Neil, looking a little sheepish. "I should have called first," he said.

Andrew let him in and looked at him expectantly. "Did you have a shift today?"

"Only in the morning," said Neil with a grimace. "I know I said I wasn't here as punishment but I am convinced that Browning is trying to punish me for _something_ with that cover job. Dealing with customers while wearing lederhosen." He shook his head. "Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere with me?"

"For a mission?"

"For a date."

Andrew managed to suppress his surprise. "A cover date?" he double-checked.

"A real one," said Neil. "I've never actually been on one but someone recently told me that all that's needed is a venue we both enjoy in order to get to know each other and no Kevin."

"Why?"

Neil rubbed the back of his neck. "I like spending time with you?" he said, sounding unsure. "I'm not usually attracted to people but I am to you; I realized it the other night when I suggested we break up. I don't want to ignore it just because it's new, I don't know how long this assignment will last, and I don't want to miss out because I was too scared or too slow to act. I know you're attracted to me; do you want to give this a try?"

"'This'?" echoed Andrew, not wanting to hope.

"Everybody already thinks we're boyfriends," said Neil. "It's fine if the answer's no."

"This is the second time you've asked me out after saying you'd regret it if you didn't."

"Yeah," said Neil. "It was more difficult this time, now that it's real."

"What happens when your assignment is over?"

"I'll leave," said Neil simply. He paused, then continued, "This might be a bad idea."

"Everything about you is a bad idea." It helped to know that there was a definite expiry date. If Andrew knew the end was coming then he could prevent himself from becoming too attached. He ignored the part of him that was already dreading Neil's eventual departure. "Alright."

"Alright?"

"You can take me out," said Andrew. "Wait here while I change. Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," said Neil.

Andrew stopped and levelled him with a flat look. "I don't like surprises."

Neil shrugged. "I'll tell you if you want, but you're going to like it. Trust me?"

Andrew knew that Neil was asking him to trust him about more than just where he was taking them for their date. He didn't ask again where they were going.

He gave Neil a dry look when they arrived at the Natural History Museum.

Neil was incredibly proud of himself. "I have it on good authority that _someone_ likes dinosaurs."

Andrew felt oddly touched. "You're ridiculous."

He let Neil pay for their admission and led the way to the dinosaur hall.

"You know," said Neil thoughtfully, "I've been in countless museums but I don't think I've ever actually looked at an exhibit."

"Too busy recovering stolen items?"

"Sometimes. But mostly my mother used to bring me to museums all the time because they're usually filled with easily distracted tourists with money. A prime location for grifting."

Andrew thought about that. "When you said you've never been a real person before you weren't only talking about your job, were you?"

"My childhood as a conman actually did prepare me quite well for a life as a spy."

Andrew felt a little daring and also wanted to show Neil that he appreciated his honesty so he reached out and took Neil's hand. Neil looked between their joined hands and Andrew's face.

"Yes?" asked Andrew.

"Yes," said Neil, threading their fingers together and giving Andrew's hand a tug. "Now: show me the dinosaurs."

* * *

Dating Neil for real was not that much different from dating him for cover. They still spent most of their time together with Kevin trying to get as much information out of the Intersect as possible. And they still spent their lunches together in silence, comfortable in each other's presence. But now, when they were truly alone, there was also kissing and touching and learning each other's boundaries and desires.

Neil felt real and solid so it still unnerved Andrew when he slipped into another persona with ease. Sometimes on missions it felt like another person was looking at him through Neil's eyes but when they were finished debriefing Neil always flashed him his just-for-Andrew smile, settling something within him. He told himself that he wasn't in too deep, that Neil was just a fling, that it wouldn't hurt when it inevitably ended.

About three months after their first date, Andrew made his way over to the Wiener Haus for lunch. Neil wasn't at the counter, which was odd, so Andrew ducked down into the basement where the CIA/NSA joint command centre was located. Neil was just coming out of the security door when Andrew stepped off the bottom stair, looking slightly harassed and pensive.

"What's wrong?" asked Andrew.

Neil gazed at Andrew for a long moment before glancing over his shoulder at the door. "Nothing," he said extremely unconvincingly.

"You're usually better at lying," said Andrew dryly.

Neil still looked conflicted. "There's something classified in there that I'm not supposed to tell you about yet," he said.

Andrew looked between Neil and the door and made a decision. "I'm going in there," he said. "Are you going to stop me?"

Neil took a small step to the left, unblocking Andrew's access to the door. "Hey, Andrew," he said, just as Andrew reached for the keypad. "Whatever happens next, thank you for these past few months. You're amazing."

Andrew's brow furrowed in confusion and his hackles raised in response to Neil's odd behaviour. He pushed open the door and took a step inside.

A chair swivelled around to face him. The man sitting in it had his hands steepled together like a Bond villain and was much less dead than previously reported.

"Hello, Andrew," said Aaron.


	3. Chapter 3

Andrew was avoiding looking at his twin. He was also avoiding looking at his boyfriend who had maybe just broken up with him. He also didn't want to look at any of the equipment in the room because it reminded him that both his twin and his boyfriend were CIA agents.

That left very few safe places to direct his gaze.

Aaron seemed to be trying to avoid looking at Andrew as well, sending him frequent surreptitious glances (which Andrew feigned not to notice because he was pretending that he wasn't doing the same thing). Neil was lost deep in thought, still looking as troubled as he had before Andrew had entered the room.

It was Aaron who cleared his throat to break the heavy silence. "Are we just going to sit here awkwardly until the end of time?" he asked.

Neil blinked into awareness. "I assumed that you'd have more words for your brother who you haven't seen in half a decade past saying hello as ominously as possible," he said.

"If you'd given me any warning-"

"He has a right to know!"

"We had _just_ decided not to tell him-"

"You and Browning decided, you mean."

"Why do you have to argue about every little-"

" _That's_ rich, coming from you."

"Stop interrupting me, you little fucker," snapped Aaron, but he sounded exasperated more than angry.

"Don't tell me what to do," said Neil petulantly, crossing his arms.

Andrew watched the argument like a tennis match. It was well worn, almost practiced as if Neil and Aaron had spent a lot of time bickering. He felt a pang at the evidence of their long relationship. It wasn't jealousy, exactly - he trusted that Neil didn't have any romantic feelings towards Aaron - it was something harder to define. A feeling of being left out, or left behind.

"You're only opposed to hiding my survival because you're petty and you like being contrary," said Aaron.

Neil looked affronted. "Right, because I couldn't _possibly_ want Andrew to know because I care about him and his feelings," he said. "Fuck you."

"You wish," replied Aaron. It had the quickness and familiarity of a rote response. "I know you've been after my ass for years but did you really have to jump into bed with my brother the first chance you got?"

Neil's mouth dropped open in shock. He shook his head and closed his eyes. "God, you're such an asshole," he said, not angrily. He sounded almost amused and a little bit fond. "I can't believe I was sad when you died."

Andrew smacked his hand against the table to remind them of his presence. Both Aaron and Neil looked over at him with surprise and a little guilt. "Will one of you explain what the fuck is going on?"

"...Aaron is alive," said Neil.

"I got that much," replied Andrew dryly. "Was he lying or were you?"

"I didn't know until this morning," said Neil. "I wouldn't lie to you about something like this; I know what it meant to you that he was dead." Andrew watched him to gauge his truthfulness. He knew that Neil could still lie to him without trouble but he thought that he knew him well enough that he could catch the lie. He saw nothing but sincerity in Neil's eyes. He nodded once.

"Any reason you faked your death or were you having fun?" Andrew asked Aaron, directly addressing his brother for the first time since he'd orchestrated his expulsion from college almost six years previously.

"Of course there was-"

He was cut off by the security door opening. "I got your 9-1-1. What's so important that-" Kevin came bustling through the door. He cut himself off when he saw Aaron, smoothly raising his gun and holding it trained on Aaron.

Aaron also raised a gun, seemingly from nowhere, pointing it toward Kevin. Neil also joined their little gun party but his gun was held loosely, pointing at the floor.

"That man is a criminal and a traitor to this country," Kevin told Neil. "Step away from him; I'm arresting him."

"That's the pot calling the kettle black, _Raven_ ," said Aaron. "Neil, you let this man near my brother?"

"Everybody relax," said Neil, his voice forcibly calm. "Aaron, that is Kevin. He's been my partner for the last five months and I trust him, despite his past as a Raven. Kevin, you don't have the whole story. Now everyone put your guns down and stop being so dramatic."

The standoff continued for a few more tense minutes. Finally Aaron slid on his safety and put away his gun. Kevin followed suit.

"You know there's something wrong when _you're_ trying to _de_ escalate a situation," Aaron remarked to Neil. "Usually you're making things worse."

"It's my very own special talent," said Neil. "Kevin, come sit down. Aaron was just about to explain his actions."

Kevin huffed but sat down, putting himself ostentatiously between Andrew and Aaron. "Stay away from my asset," he said.

"Stay away from my brother," Aaron replied, his voice dark.

"Don't pretend that you've ever cared about my well-being before," said Andrew. "Frankly, I trust him more than I trust you," he added, jerking his thumb in Kevin's direction.

Kevin preened like a smug bastard while a fleeting look of hurt crossed Aaron's face before he schooled it back to being placid.

"A little less than a year ago I was tasked with examining some inconsistencies with the Intersect," Aaron started.

"Why you?" interjected Kevin.

"Because I designed it," said Aaron. "It's what got me recruited to the CIA."

That got Andrew's attention. "Then you designed it while we were at…"

"Stanford, yeah," said Aaron. "Remember my extra-credit project for programming sophomore year? I worked on it with Katelyn."

"The cheerleader," sneered Andrew.

Aaron rolled his eyes. "The _brilliant_ neuroscience student whose insights were invaluable to creating the Intersect," he corrected. "I asked for your input, too, but…" he trailed off with a shrug.

But Andrew hadn't wanted to be present while his brother and a pretty girl made kissy faces at each other, especially knowing that he wasn't ready to disclose his own sexuality yet.

"Less reminiscing about college, more explaining why you're alive," said Kevin impatiently.

"Are you sure your middle name isn't tact, Day?" said Neil.

"It didn't take long before I noticed that the Intersect data was being siphoned - someone was illegally sending the data to an unauthorized third party. All government intelligence was in danger of being accessed or leaked by that third party. The Intersect collects all intelligence from US agencies in order to foster cooperation but it's dangerous. Anyone who accesses it has far too much power."

"Who is the third party?" asked Kevin.

"It took some digging - he covered his tracks well - but I eventually traced the data breach to Ichirou Moriyama."

Kevin turned alarmingly pale.

Neil whistled, long and low. "Shit," he said fervently.

"And for those of us who _don_ 't know who that is…" said Andrew.

No one answered at first, eyeing each other. Neil eventually sighed.

"He's a very influential businessman," he said. "He's also the older brother of the former leader of the Ravens."

"He was cleared of any involvement with the Ravens," added Kevin. "He and Riko were estranged. They barely knew each other; they didn't grow up together."

"I found that he had internal help from the CIA covering up his involvement with the Ravens," said Aaron.

"From who?" asked Neil, looking up like a dog catching a scent.

"I don't know," said Aaron. "I was closing in on them when they discovered my investigation." He shook his head. "I had to go to ground, but I couldn't let them continue stealing the data from the Intersect. So I destroyed it."

"You sent it to Andrew," corrected Neil. "You put him directly in the mole's crosshairs." His tone was bland but his eyes flashed dangerously.

Aaron shook his head. "Only if the mole was Browning," he said. "Data about the Intersect is highly restricted. Only the program directors at the NSA and CIA have the necessary clearance to trace the file transfer I sent. I knew that Colonel Rhemann and whatever NSA agent he sent to investigate couldn't be the CIA spy and unless he was dirty I assumed Browning would send you."

Kevin was nodding slowly. "For maximum data security Colonel Rhemann told me that the two of us and you and Browning were the only four people who know where the Intersect currently is."

"I was hoping to fish out the mole, but with me dead and the Intersect hidden they've disappeared. And Moriyama's a slippery bastard: we won't be able to pin anything to him without his CIA contact."

Neil rubbed a hand down his face. "You want to draw them out," he said, not a question. "Leak the location of the Intersect."

Kevin caught on right away. "You want to use Andrew as bait."

" _No_ ," said both Aaron and Neil simultaneously, then shared a brief glance.

"If our plan backfired it would put the Intersect in Moriyama's hands," said Aaron.

"And why use a civilian as bait when he has a CIA-trained doppelganger?" asked Neil. He turned to Aaron. "He'll still be in danger as long as he has government secrets in his head. Leaking his location might bring other dangerous people after him as well."

"After we catch our mole we can make it look like we made it up to trap them," said Aaron. "And I can take care of the other problem as well."

"You can remove the Intersect?" asked Andrew, inserting himself into the conversation. He wasn't enjoying having Neil and Aaron discuss him as if we weren't present.

Aaron made a so-so gesture with his hand. "More like overwrite, really. I can't remove the information that's there but I can change the image-data link. Right now, when you flash on something, you think of an image which then brings the intel to mind. So for instance a chrysanthemum might be a surveillance report. After the rewrite the images will just link back to themselves; so the chrysanthemum will make you think about chrysanthemums."

"And we'll lose the data forever?" asked Kevin.

"It's been five months," said Aaron. "The data were already out-of-date. Both the NSA and the CIA have been hard at work recovering what they could. Sending the Intersect to Andrew was always meant to be a stop-gap until the agencies could get something else in place. The Intersect is too powerful: it will always be a target for people who want to use it for nefarious purposes."

"What gives you the right to unilaterally decide that?" snipped Kevin.

"I created it, I can destroy it," said Aaron simply. "It never should have been made in the first place." He looked directly at Andrew for the first time since he'd greeted him. "You can get back to your normal life."

Andrew didn't want to address the dread that the simple sentence made him feel. "What's the plan?" he asked.

"I've narrowed down who it could possibly be," said Aaron after a brief pause. "All of them report directly to Browning. He'll have to float the intel about Andrew to them and we'll wait to see who takes the bait. Then we'll spring some sort of trap."

"'Some sort of trap'," repeated Neil dryly. "That's very helpful."

"I'm the computer guy, you're the plan guy," retorted Aaron. "This one's on you. If you were the mole how would you go about capturing Andrew?"

"We're definitely sure they want him alive?" asked Kevin. "Killing him would be easier."

"That's nice, Kevin, thanks," said Neil.

"They want the data in his head. Yes, they want him alive," supplied Aaron.

"Do they know about Kevin?" asked Neil.

"No reason why they should think the NSA and CIA are playing nice," said Aaron.

"If I were the mole…" said Neil slowly, "I would go after Andrew in public. I'd suspect that his home and work are wired to the gill with CIA security and surveillance - which they are," he added as an aside to Andrew "- so I'd wait until he went somewhere else - oh, say, a date with his CIA bodyguard-slash-boyfriend - and abduct him there. I'd incapacitate the boyfriend with a heavy tranquilizer and control Andrew by threatening to kill the boyfriend if he struggles or makes a scene. Once we were out of public, I'd chloroform him and stuff him in a bag in my trunk."

"You'd made a good villain," said Andrew.

"Yet here I am on the side of the angels," said Neil with a crooked grin.

Kevin nodded once, looking determined. "We can work with that easily enough. I can take them out once they've taken Aaron hostage."

Neil sighed. "Sounds like I'm letting myself get drugged?"

"Maybe he'll just kill you," said Kevin.

"Comforting," said Neil. "But I doubt it. Committing treason is bad enough but they definitely wouldn't want the added attention that murdering a CIA agent would bring. I'll just have to risk it; I've taken worse gambles."

"Macedonia," said Aaron in an undertone.

"Hey, that worked," said Neil.

"Yeah, you were only shot _twice_."

Andrew wondered which two of Neil's six bullet wounds they were talking about but asking would just remind everyone that he'd seen Neil naked. Instead he stood abruptly. "Lunch is over; I've got to get back to work," he said.

"We should… talk, sometime," said Aaron awkwardly.

Andrew just shook his head. He didn't want to deal with any of this. "Work," he repeated and headed towards the door.

"I'll call you later," Neil said. He'd said those words multiple times throughout their relationship but this time they sounded ominous to Andrew.

* * *

When Neil called he sounded completely normal, all traces of his earlier internal conflict gone. He asked Andrew to drop by his apartment and to bring dinner. Andrew got Greek food with lots of olives just to be spiteful in case Neil was about to officially break up with him.

As he waited for Neil to answer his knock he reminded himself that he'd always known that Neil was leaving and he'd prepared himself. Neil was nothing but temporary so losing him wouldn't hurt.

Aaron answered the door, looking just as surprised to see Andrew as Andrew was to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing at my boyfriend's apartment with takeout?" asked Andrew sardonically.

"Did Neil know you were coming? He said he had to take care of some things," said Aaron. His eyes narrowed. "He did mention that food was on its way," he sighed. "I guess you should come in." He opened the door wider to allow Andrew entry.

Andrew considered turning around and leaving but instead made his way inside. "I have a sneaking suspicion that Neil thinks we should have a conversation," he said, heading to the kitchen.

"Yeah," snorted Aaron. "He's a master at manipulation but sometimes his machinations are about as subtle as a hammer to the skull."

Andrew didn't answer. He set about getting out plates and cutlery and finding something to drink in Neil's practically-barren refrigerator.

Aaron watched Andrew move with familiarity and ease in Neil's space. "You two are actually dating," he mused. "It's so strange."

"Yep," said Andrew shortly. "Gay people date, too. How odd."

"Not that," said Aaron waving his hand dismissively. "Neil. I've seen him seduce people for intel before but I've never seen him actually care about anyone. I'd always believed that the two of you would be weirdly suited for each other but I never thought it would actually ever happen."

"Sorry to disappoint," said Andrew, plonking the plates on the table. "You want water or milk?"

Aaron grimaced. "No beer?" Andrew raised an eyebrow and gestured around to indicate that they were at Neil's place. Neil drank sometimes, to keep up his cover, but it wasn't something he enjoyed. Aaron sighed. "You're right. Milk. Unless it's expired."

Andrew double checked, because that was a real possibility, but it was fine. He poured two glasses and then sat at his place. They ate for awhile in silence.

"I'm not disappointed," Aaron eventually said quietly. "That you're gay, I mean. I know you think that's why I did what I did."

"You wouldn't even look at me after you found out."

"It was a convenient excuse," said Aaron. "And I was surprised and mad at first - mostly that you hadn't told me."

"Me deciding when to come out was not about you."

"I know. It hurt anyway that you hadn't trusted me." Aaron took a deep breath. "I told you earlier about how my sophomore project was the Intersect? Well it brought me to the attention of the CIA. I'd wanted your help at first but the longer the project went on I realized that I was never getting away from them. I have a unique skill and they were never going to let me go." He looked at Andrew solemnly. "Except I'm not unique. You could easily have done everything that I did. When they sat up and started to take notice of that, I knew I had to keep them away from you. I made sure everyone thought that you'd just been copying my work."

Andrew paused and clenched his fists. "You had no right to take that decision away from me."

"Maybe not, but I don't regret it. I'd do worse than that to protect you."

"I don't need your protection."

"That won't stop me from offering it."

Andrew swallowed down the angry words that were trying to surface: blame for Aaron for all the years of hurt and feelings of inadequacy that Andrew had suffered. They wouldn't help. He could tell that Aaron believed that he'd done what was necessary; that didn't mean that Andrew would ever be able to forgive him. "What's going to happen after you catch the mole?" he asked instead. "You're going to go back to what you hate?"

"I made a deal with Browning," said Aaron. "I'm legally dead right now and he's going to let me stay that way. I'll have to go somewhere remote and keep a low profile, but I'll be free." He hesitated. "I can't come back. I have to stay away from you and Nicky."

Andrew nodded jerkily. Aaron hadn't been around for years; it shouldn't matter that he was going to disappear again.

Aaron cocked his head thoughtfully. "You know, it's not the same for Neil," he said. Andrew looked at him sharply. "He's talented, yes, but he shares his skillset with countless other agents. He could quit. They'd let him."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Andrew.

"Because I want you to be happy. If you ask him to stay, I think he would."

"We've been dating for three months," said Andrew. "He's not going to change his entire life for me. There's no guarantee that we'd even last, anyway."

Aaron shrugged, deliberately casual. "You'll never know if you don't ask."

"Stop," commanded Andrew.

Aaron mimed buttoning his lips.

* * *

"I can't believe you ripped my shirt," complained Andrew, leading Aaron into his bedroom. "I liked that shirt."

It had been a week since he'd found out that Aaron was alive. Browning had leaked the information about Andrew as requested and it appeared as though the mole had taken the bait. They were hoping to trap them that evening. Aaron and Neil were attending a fancy benefit to draw them out. Andrew was going to be there, too: in a small room watching a video feed so he could hopefully identify the mole before he ambushed Neil. Then Aaron and Neil were leaving, taking the mole back to DC for interrogation. Andrew was resolutely ignoring that part of the plan. He'd been repressing all his emotions about Aaron's return and imminent departure, knowing that he'd have a lot to unpack later with his therapist.

He'd barely seen Neil all week as he was busy with some kind of personal mission. When they had been together both Aaron and Kevin had also been present, meaning that Andrew hadn't shed any more light on their current relationship status. Although the fact that Neil was leaving made it kind of obvious.

For Aaron's "date" with Neil that evening, Andrew had brought him some of his clothes to wear. Aaron had managed to almost immediately snag the shirt on one of his concealed knives and rip it.

"It's a plain, black shirt," said Aaron. "How special can it be?"

Andrew crossed the room to open his closet. "Neil liked that shirt," he muttered.

"Andrew?" came Nicky's voice accompanied by a knock on the door. "Why are you here?"

"Hide," hissed Aaron. Andrew stepped into the closet and closed the door until it was only open a crack. Hiding in a closet from Aaron and Nicky was probably the most on-the-nose metaphor ever for his late teenage years, he thought ruefully.

"I thought you were going out?" Nicky asked, pushing the door open.

"I am," said Aaron, his breath hitching when Nicky entered the room. "I just have to change shirts." He indicated the rip.

"Is Neil here? I thought I heard you talking to someone."

"Just complaining to myself," said Aaron. His eyes were glued to Nicky, watching him almost desperately. "Why are you here? I thought you and Erik were going out."

"We're just headed out now," said Nicky. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," agreed Aaron. He sounded a little choked up.

"You alright?" asked Nicky.

Aaron nodded and Nicky turned to leave.

"Nicky, wait," Aaron said. He took a couple steps forwards and hugged Nicky tightly.

Nicky hugged back, looking completely bewildered. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, pulling back and placing the back of his hand on Aaron's forehead. "Are you getting sick?"

"I'm fine, Nicky," said Aaron, his voice rough. "It's just… you've always supported me and I haven't been great to you in return."

"No, Andrew, that's not true," argued Nicky instantly.

"And I want you to know that I appreciate you. You're my family and I love you. Always."

Nicky's eyes were wet. "I love you, too," he said hesitantly. "...Are you _sure_ nothing's wrong?"

"I'm sure," said Aaron. "Go have fun; I'll see you soon."

"I… okay," said Nicky, leaving the room but glancing back at Aaron several times before he left.

Andrew stepped out of the closet and levelled Aaron with a flat look. "That wasn't suspicious at all," he said, packing as much sarcasm as possible into his words. He'd been getting better at since he'd met Neil. "Now he's going to want to hug me more."

Aaron rubbed his eyes. "That's not the worst thing," he said. "You _should_ hug him more."

Andrew huffed but let it go; he didn't begrudge Aaron saying goodbye to Nicky the only way he could. He tossed over the new shirt he'd chosen. "Don't ruin this one," he said, and left Aaron alone to change.

* * *

Andrew watched the video feeds and tried to ignore the crawling feeling in his gut that came from watching Neil pretend to be on a date with Aaron. The surveillance room was suspiciously well stocked with all of his favourite snacks something for which he knew he had Neil to thank. The snacks made him feel inexplicably sad when he caught sight of them so he'd hidden them in a drawer.

The benefit was at a swanky hotel and put on by a company that Andrew had done some consulting work for a couple months previously. In his role as a Nerd Herder he'd advised them on their computer network. Since then he'd been receiving invites to all sorts of company events and Neil had decided that this one was perfect for their needs.

What no one had taken into consideration was that Andrew wasn't the only BuyMore employee that had received this particular invitation.

"Code Green," said Kevin into the comms, from where he was masquerading as a server.

"What the hell is a Code Green?" said Aaron.

"I don't know," replied Kevin, sounding a little panicked. "We didn't come up with a colour code for this."

"What's the problem?" said Neil smoothly.

"BuyMore employees are here," said Kevin. "I see Dan, Matt, Allison, Renee-"

"Renee will know that Aaron's not me," said Andrew. "The others he can fool but not her."

"Dammit, they spotted you," said Kevin. "They're on their way over."

"Andrew, give me a code word," said Neil.

"A code word?" repeated Andrew.

"Something to say that Renee will know comes from you," replied Neil.

"We don't have a set identification phrase," complained Andrew, wracking his brain for something to say.

"You really should," interjected Kevin. "It's basic security. Who knows when-"

"Not the time, Kevin," said Neil testily. "Andrew?"

"Call her Natalie Renee Shields Walker," said Andrew. He'd only called her that once - the day she'd told him her history and they'd realized how similar they actually were, cementing their friendship - but he was sure she'd remember. He couldn't think of anything else that might work.

"'Cause _that_ rolls off the tongue naturally," muttered Neil.

"Andrew?" called Dan, approaching with Matt, Allison, and Renee. "Neil? Hey, I didn't know you guys were coming!"

"Oh, hi!" said Neil. Aaron barely acknowledged them with a slight nod. "What are you guys doing here?" asked Neil, offering a handshake to Matt who turned it into a bro-hug.

Andrew, watching through the pinhole camera on Aaron's tie-pin, clocked the exact second that Renee realized that she wasn't looking at Andrew. Her smile froze and her eyes narrowed.

"Neil, she knows," Andrew said.

Neil gracefully extricated himself from Matt's greeting and Aaron stepped in to block Andrew's three coworkers. Neil wrapped an arm around Renee and steered her out of earshot of the others. Andrew followed their progress on one of the other surveillance cameras.

"Natalie Renee Shields Walker, I have a message for you," he said. Renee's eyes narrowed further. "It's in the basement. Room B-53."

"What are you doing?" hissed Kevin. "You can't send her to Andrew!"

Renee's gaze was assessing but she nodded once shortly and headed for the stairs.

"What do you want me to tell her?" Andrew asked.

"She's your best friend," said Neil. "I'm not going to make you lie to her."

"Neil!" barked Kevin.

"Just… don't tell her anything _too_ classified," said Neil, returning to Aaron and the other BuyMore employees.

"Where's Renee?" asked Allison.

"I noticed a small rip in her dress," lied Neil. "She's gone to the washroom to rearrange herself so it's hidden."

There was a knock at the door to the room that Andrew was in, so he muted his comm and went to answer it. Renee's eyebrows raised almost to her hairline when she saw him. He ushered her in, locked the door, and went back to his seat by the monitors.

Renee turned in a circle, taking in everything in the small room. She ended up staring at Andrew, her expression expectant.

"It turns out that Aaron's a spy," he said blandly. "So's Neil. I'm not supposed to tell you."

"Okay," she said slowly, taking a seat beside him. "Don't worry; I can keep a secret." She watched the monitors quietly for a couple minutes, clearly digesting the new information. "Wait," she said abruptly, "is _that_ why you were still pining after Neil for the first couple months you were dating?"

"I wasn't pining," argued Andrew. At the incredulous look she gave him, he conceded. "...I wasn't obviously pining."

She briefly rested her head on his shoulder. "It was to me." She sat up straight and her eyes gleamed with excitement. "Okay, so what's the mission?"

"Someone's trying to kidnap me. We're turning the tables. I'm supposed to keep an eye out for them."

"I can help. What do they look like?"

"I don't know yet."

"Then how…?"

"Long story."

She looked around. "It seems that we have time."

Andrew sighed. "Fine," he said. "But this is super top secret. And I'll need snacks." He pointed at the drawer where he'd hidden them earlier.

He'd almost finished telling Renee the entire story starting from when Aaron had sent him the Intersect when his eyes caught on someone who had just entered the hotel. The Intersect flashed him a picture of a gorilla and the man's CIA service records. He turned his comm back on.

"He's here," he said. "Chris Hawking. White, male, brown hair, 6'5'', built like a giant ape. He's just come in."

"Got him," said Kevin. "He's huge. On your four, Neil. Are you certain he's going to drug you? He's capable of breaking you into pieces."

"Then it was nice knowing you, Sunshine," said Neil acidly. He and Aaron had managed to extricate themselves from Andrew's co-workers and were milling at the edge of the crowd, near a convenient exit that led to a dead end where Kevin could corner Hawking.

"If you do die, does that mean I get Bessie?" asked Aaron. "You once said I could only touch your gun over your dead body."

"You named your gun Bessie?" asked Kevin derisively. "He's on his way over. T-minus 45 seconds."

"My _favourite_ gun is named Bessie," said Neil. "Why, what did you name yours?"

Kevin mumbled something unintelligible.

"What was that?" asked Aaron. He and Neil were leaning together, making intense eye contact and pretending that they were speaking quietly to each other and unaware of their surroundings. Andrew liked it almost as much as he liked them flippantly speaking of Neil's death. Renee was watching Andrew's reaction so he kept his face impassive.

"I _said_ I call him Sir Shoots-A-Lot, okay?" whined Kevin.

Neil grinned and ducked his head just as Hawking reached him and Aaron, brushing by Neil's back. Andrew didn't catch anything on the monitors but Neil breathed in sharply and tensed.

"Neil?" asked Aaron, doing a very good imitation of how Andrew sounded when he was worried and pretending not to be. "What's wrong?"

Neil took a step back and wavered, glancing blearily around. Then he gripped Aaron's bicep hard enough that his knuckles turned white. "Danger; you're in danger, Andrew. You have to get out of here."

Hawking stepped behind Neil again, towering over him and Aaron. Andrew noticed that he stayed out of Neil's eyeline, not letting him get a good look at who he was. "If you make a scene or resist I'm going to do something much worse to your boyfriend than a little roofie," he said menacingly.

Aaron glared up at him. "Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter. You're going to calmly come with me through that door behind you or 'Neil' here is going to get a couple more holes to breath out of."

"Don't," gritted out Neil, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Sleep now," said Hawking, as Neil lost his fight to remain conscious. He caught Neil's slumping body and propped him the wall. "Turn around and walk through the door," he commanded Aaron.

Aaron's look promised death but he did as instructed. Andrew was glad for the first time that Aaron had taken his place: he wouldn't have been able to stop himself from attacking Hawking as soon as Neil passed out. It was taking all his willpower just to stay in place.

"Andrew?" said Renee quietly.

"He'll be fine," he said hoarsely. "We expected this to happen."

"Moving into position," said Kevin.

Aaron's hand was on the door handle when Matt's voice echoed from nearby. "Neil?" He and Dan and Allison were all approaching. "What's wrong? Is he okay?"

"Dammit," muttered Aaron.

Matt took Neil's unconscious body from Hawking, who used the opportunity to move in Aaron's direction.

"He's out cold!" exclaimed Matt.

"Andrew, what happened?" demanded Dan. "Who is this man?"

"Everything is fine," said Hawking smoothly. "He just had a little too much to drink. I was just helping Andrew bring him to their car."

" _Neil_ had too much to drink?" repeated Allison, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Uh oh," said Renee, getting to her feet. "That's not going to end well."

"Renee-" started Andrew but she was already gone, rushing back to the party. Andrew wanted to go, too, but he could do nothing but sit back and watch everything unfold.

"What is happening?" asked Kevin.

"Nothing good," replied Andrew.

"Everybody calm down," said Aaron.

"How can you say that when something's clearly happened to Neil?" said Matt. His eyes opened in comical disbelief. "Is this man threatening you?"

"That's absurd," said Hawking. "Stop making a scene."

" _You_ did this to Neil!" Allison shrieked in accusation. Several heads turned to see what the commotion was about.

"Step away from Andrew," commanded Dan. "We won't let you hurt him."

"For God's sake," muttered Hawking, reaching for his gun.

Aaron tackled him from behind, taking advantage of the height difference and staying close to the ground. He ran the full weight of his body into the backs of Hawking's knees, sending him tumbling forward. Allison drove the heel of her shoe into the hand he'd caught himself with. Emitting a yelp, he fell flat on his face. She and Dan then piled on his back, elbowing and scratching. Renee appeared on the camera feed as she marched up to Hawking and drove a fist into the nerve beneath his shoulder so that he couldn't move his arm.

"Punch his kidneys!" shouted Allison.

Matt put Neil down safely out of harm's way before leaping into the fray. "You can't have our friend!" he cried.

Andrew watched in mute disbelief. He hadn't been aware that his coworkers cared this much about him.

Kevin was the last to arrive. He walloped Hawking with his serving tray, knocking him out cold.

"That's how we do it in Burbank!" shouted Dan, jumping up and throwing her hands in the air in victory.

Kevin stepped over Hawking, securing his hands with handcuffs.

"Do you just carry those around with you?" asked Allison breathlessly, fixing her dishevelled hair.

"...Yes," said Kevin.

"That's hot," she said approvingly.

"Nice," said Matt, offering Kevin a fist bump. He squinted and cocked his head in confusion. "Why are you dressed like a server?"

* * *

"I think that went smoothly," said Neil. His eyes were still a little fuzzy from being drugged.

"I'm sorry," said Kevin, "you'd classify the chaos that just happened as _smooth_?"

"We got our guy, no one got shot, and I only threw up twice," said Neil.

"That does count as smooth for one of our ops," agreed Aaron.

"I'm not going to miss you at all," said Kevin.

It was nearing dawn and the four of them were standing on the tarmac next to a small plane that was ready to head to DC. Hawking was already secured and the pilot was just waiting on Aaron and Neil to board.

It had taken quite some time and Kevin having to pull rank with the local police to clear up the mess from the benefit. Luckily the other BuyMore employees had been off giving witness statements when he'd done so, leaving his cover as their coworker who moonlighted as a server intact. Kevin was going to stay around for awhile; he couldn't leave until the NSA reassigned him and no one wanted Andrew to be completely unprotected in case Moriyama sent anyone else after him before the CIA managed to detain him.

All there was to do now was to say goodbye.

Neil drew Kevin out of earshot of Andrew and Aaron. Andrew watched as they spoke together quietly and Neil playfully punched Kevin's arm.

"How's your head?" asked Aaron. He'd handed Andrew a pair of sunglasses while Kevin was still dealing with the police earlier. When he'd put them on they'd started flashing images and overwriting the Intersect. It still hadn't completely sunk in that the Intersect was gone.

"Better than the first time," said Andrew.

Andrew nodded rapidly. "So, uh, take care of yourself," he said. "And Nicky."

"I will."

"And for what it's worth… I'm sorry."

Andrew lifted one shoulder. "I probably would have done the same in your position." It was as close to forgiveness as he could offer. Aaron seemed to understand. He nodded once more and headed to the plane, inclining his head in farewell to Kevin as he returned to his car.

Neil was nearby, watching Andrew. Andrew's throat felt like it was closing in on itself.

"So," said Neil, sauntering closer.

_Ask him to stay_ , whispered a traitorous voice in Andrew's head.

"I got you something," said Neil, handing him a folder.

Andrew flipped it open and stared at the contents, realizing what Neil had been busy with for the past week.

"I got your record at Stanford expunged," Neil said. "Your expulsion is overturned. You're still short a couple credits but if you pay the semester's fee and write the finals you'll be able to graduate." He smiled hopefully. Andrew still couldn't make himself say anything. Neil's smile dimmed a little. "I know you've let this hold you back and as great as the BuyMore is, you're meant for more. You deserve the actual best, not settling for the best that comes along," he said self-deprecatingly.

Andrew wanted to tell him that being with Neil wasn't settling, that it was everything he'd ever wanted. His words stuck in his throat. He'd had this problem when he was younger, the inability to speak when particularly upset. It was a completely inopportune time for it to reappear.

"Well," said Neil when Andrew couldn't answer. "It's been…" he gestured helplessly.

_Tell him to come back_ , Andrew's mind implored him.

Neil leaned in and kissed Andrew's cheek. "Be happy," he said, before turning and heading to the plane.

_Say something_ , Andrew commanded himself. _Call him back, ask him to stay. Anything._

Instead he silently watched as Neil walked out of his life. He turned back once, at the entrance to the plane in order to give Andrew a little salute, and then he was gone.

Andrew watched as the door to the plane closed and the engines started. He watched as it taxied down the runway and took off. He watched it fly away until he couldn't see it any longer.

He gasped a lungful of air, feeling as if he hadn't inhaled since Neil had started speaking to him and closed his eyes tightly.

_This doesn't hurt_ , he reminded himself and headed to his car. He'd known this was coming and now his life could return to normal. He got in his little white Nerd Herder and drove, not paying any attention to his destination until he arrived.

He parked and made his way to the front of the house. There were no lights on when he knocked loudly. He wasn't sure how long he stared listlessly into space before the hall light flicked on and Renee opened the door. She was in a tank top and sweatshorts and her hair was pulled back into a messy bun. She blinked sleepily.

"Andrew?" she asked through a yawn. "What's wrong?"

"Neil left," he said, feeling wrung out.

She made a sympathetic noise and pushed the screen door open. "Come on," she said. "I've got some mint chocolate chip in the freezer."


	4. Epilogue

"Did anything come from that last group of resumes you sent out?" Nicky asked over breakfast.

Andrew nodded and swallowed. "I have two interviews next week."

Nicky practically caught fire he beamed so brightly.

Andrew had contacted Stanford about getting his last two credits. Everyone he spoke to was so accommodating and apologetic that he wondered what, exactly, Neil had done to get his suspension overturned. Since his perfect memory meant that he didn't need to take the courses again he was allowed to sit the final exams, finally completing his degree six years after his expulsion. Since then he'd been applying for jobs in his field. He was tentatively proud of himself.

"Oh! Did you see that someone moved into Kevin's old place?" said Nicky, changing the subject. "I still can't believe he was a secret agent. How exciting! You really had no idea?"

"None," lied Andrew.

About a month after Neil and Aaron had left there was a major breaking news story about the arrest of Ichirou Moriyama for treason and ties to the Ravens. More surprisingly, the news credited NSA agent extraordinaire, Kevin Day, with tirelessly working undercover in order to bring about his downfall. Kevin had been hailed a hero and was called back to DC to receive commendations and a promotion. Andrew suspected that it was Neil's doing.

"Do you think Neil knew?" asked Nicky before pausing and grimacing. "Sorry."

"You can say his name, Nicky," said Andrew. "I'm over it."

"You've been saying that since the day he left," retorted Nicky, rolling his eyes. "It's alright, you know, _not_ to instantly get over a break up."

"He always suspected that he'd have to return to his parents' ranch in Texas," said Andrew patiently. "I wasn't surprised when he did." He'd been over this with Nicky multiple times.

"But, still," lamented Nicky. "He was so perfect."

"No one's perfect," said Andrew as he stood and took his bowl to the sink. "He was just a guy. It was casual and meant nothing." He'd said it enough times now that he might one day soon start to believe it.

"That's right!" said Erik enthusiastically. "Andrew will find someone new in no time."

Andrew nodded and ignored the sick feeling in his gut that always accompanied any discussion of him dating again. Nicky also got up from the table and gave Andrew a hopeful look.

Andrew sighed inaudibly. "Seven seconds," he said and then endured a precisely seven second hug from his cousin. He'd been right when he'd told Aaron that Nicky would want to hug him more often. At least he hadn't brought up what 'Andrew' had said, correlating his strange mood to the fact that Neil left that night.

"Bye, guys," he said, heading to the door. "I'll see you this evening."

"Have fun at work!" Nicky called.

Renee met Andrew as he was leaving the house.

"I don't know what I'm going to do once you leave for a fancy new job," she lamented.

"Don't pretend that none of our coworkers would be willing to give you a ride," he replied, leading the way to where he'd parked his Nerd Herder. He was going to have to buy his own car once he got another job. He wasn't particularly going to miss driving around in a tiny logoed car, but he would miss how it was practically free.

"I meant that I'd miss our commutes together," she said. "We'll have to schedule a movie night or something so that I'll still see you regularly."

"Hmmm, okay," he said.

"Really?"

"I get to pick the movies."

She grinned. "I just committed myself to watching every single sci-fi movie in existence, didn't I?"

"No take-backs," he said, starting the car.

He greeted Matt and Allison when he arrived at work; he'd been trying to be friendlier with them ever since they had attacked someone they thought was kidnapping him.

It was a slow day with very few customers. Andrew spent most of it playing mind-numbing games on his computer.

"I'm going for a break," Allison grumbled in the early afternoon. "As long as you can handle all of our zero customers alone?" she tacked on. Matt had already bailed after lunch, helping Dan perform inventory counts.

Andrew waved her off, not caring in the slightest. About ten minutes later someone politely cleared their throat from the other side of the kiosk desk.

"How can I help you?" asked Andrew, not bothering to look up from his computer screen.

"There's a problem with my phone," said Neil.

Andrew whipped his head up to look at him so quickly that his neck cracked, shooting pain down his spine. He ignored it. He needed to see that his ears weren't deceiving him. But, yes, Neil was really standing in the BuyMore as if he hadn't walked out of Andrew's life more than three months previously. He was a little paler than he had been and he had new scars on his cheeks - slash marks on one and a burn on the other - but it was him, grinning dopily at Andrew and looking at him like he was a sight for sore eyes.

"It got a little exploded and my new phone doesn't have your number," said Neil. Andrew didn't let him continue. He reached across the counter, fisted his hand in Neil's shirt, and dragged him into a kiss.

It wasn't a very good kiss - Neil wouldn't stop smiling and there was a counter between them - but Andrew thought he got his point across.

"Stay," he breathed out when they pulled apart, to ensure that Neil understood.

"I'd hoped you'd want me to," said Neil.

Andrew was forcibly reminded where he was by the cat-calling and cheers of his coworkers.

"Dan," he said loudly, not taking his gaze off Neil in case he disappeared. "I have to go home; I think I'm coming down with something."

"Yeah, he's suffering from celibacy," added Allison.

"Come on, let the man get some," said Matt. "Don't worry, buddy; we've got your back."

* * *

Later, Andrew was absolutely not watching Neil sleep because that would be creepy and far too sappy and revealing of his true feelings. Luckily Neil was not conscious to witness it.

Andrew wasn't sure where Neil had been lately or what he'd been up to as he'd been more focused on getting Neil into bed than asking him questions. Maybe he should have asked a couple as Neil promptly passed out as soon as Andrew had gotten him horizontal, looking boneless and relaxed. They'd shared a bed many times while they'd been dating but Andrew had never witnessed Neil sleep this deeply. Andrew suspected a combination of total exhaustion and feeling safe in Andrew's space. The latter made his insides feel warm.

Andrew's computer emitted a soft chime and he went to check his notifications. A window had opened itself. It had familiar text in it.

A WILD ORC APPROACHES

Andrew watched the cursor blink and considered what he should do. He decided to take his chances that he wouldn't end up with government secrets in his head _again_. He had a feeling that Neil wouldn't be super impressed with him if he got himself in trouble just when Neil had left the CIA. He typed his answer.

I EQUIP MY IRON KNIFE

The cursor blinked twice and then a photo appeared. It was a generic beach picture, taken from the perspective of a sunbather. A pale pair of legs stretched out on white sand that led to aquamarine water and a clear blue sky. "Having a wonderful time! Wish you were here" was written in fancy script in the top left-hand corner. Andrew examined the picture looking for a hidden meaning. Finally, he noticed an almost-imperceptible scar of the left ankle of the sunbather. It was a unique shape - Aaron had told Andrew that he'd got it when he fell out of a tree as a child.

He watched as the photo deleted itself and the window disappeared. It felt like closure. Aaron was happy and safe. Andrew could practically feel the remainder of his resentment for his brother float away. He turned off his monitor and returned to bed, carefully curling himself around Neil's lax form.

The beach looked pretty, he thought, but he was exactly where he wanted to be.

**Author's Note:**

> I can be found on tumblr [@gluupor](http://gluupor.tumblr.com).


End file.
